His
by Sassa12
Summary: Daryl and Carol are together again... But for how long? Rated T for now. All Caryl
1. Chapter 1

Hello all! This is my first fan fiction. This is all Cary,l all the time so be warned. If that is not your thing then feel free to skip.

FYI-I do not own anything…if I did, we wouldn't have waited 5 Seasons for that hug!

It had been three days since the escape from Terminus. Three days of running, trying to get as far away from there as possible. Three days since he had turned around and she had been standing there. The thought of it still took his breath away and made his heart race. He thought he would never see her again. He had been so sure she was dead.

But she wasn't. Carol was here. And he was hovering. He couldn't help himself. He insisted that she take every watch with him and they slept back to back on the hard floor of whatever dilapidated building they found for shelter each night. Not that she slept. He knew there was something she was trying to work out. Knew that she got like this when she was trying to figure out things. She had been like that, restless, the days after the sickness had spread through the prison. If he had known then….

But it was over. She was with him now. There had been a knot in his stomach from the moment Hershel told him to ask Rick about her. A knot that only untied when he had her in his arms in the woods outside of Terminus. He had been so sure of everything in that moment. How he felt about her. He wasn't willing to ever feel the lose of her again. She was his girl. Had been for a long time, whether either of them had ever acknowledged it.

But after three days, a certain awkwardness had descended upon them like a fog. The silence between them, always so natural before, now felt stifling. As if it would strangle them. It was the weight of so many things left unsaid.

He never said much under normal circumstances…and she was saying absolutely nothing at all. Except for the first night. Everyone had shared their story. And they had all listened to Carol and Tyreese speak about the house in the grove, and the two small bodies that were buried there.

Daryl sighed heavily at the memory, causing her, sitting next to him on watch, to look at him sideways expectantly. Then as if remembering who she was with, she shook her head and went back to staring into the darkness.

"What ever ya trying to work out, ya may as well tell me now as later." He scooted closer to her on the hard log they were using as a seat and bumped her shoulder with his. When she continued to stare into the darkness, he gently patted her knee with his hand and whispered, "If you need to talk about Lizzie and Mika, then do it. I know how much you loved them." She hung her head at the mention of their names and moved her leg away from his easy reach. He moved closer to her again, not wanting the space between them. He put his hand firmly on her knee again. As if he had burned her, she jumped up from where she had been sitting and began to pace in front of him, refusing to meet his questioning gaze.

"Please talk to me. I don't know what to do if you won't talk to me." he pleaded, looking up at her.

She stopped pacing, looked right at him and grunted. "You're one to talk. You never say much of anything about anything to anyone."

He rose from the log, stepping into her space, "I wasn't like that with you. I always told you everything."

Carol took a step closer to him. "Yes Daryl. You did. You trusted me. They all did. And I killed two people behind every ones back." she said, her voice rising in what Daryl could only describe as panic. She turned and took a few steps away, leaving her back to him.

Daryl flinched. He knew this would come up. Had dreaded it. But they needed to talk about it if they were ever going to move on. "I know you," he said to her back. "You thought it would help. You did a terrible thing to protect us. We've all done terrible things. I know that, and so do the rest of em. Even Tyreese forgives you." He reached up and placed his hand on her shoulder.

She quickly shrugged his hand off and turned to face him. She was crying now, tears continuously falling down her cheeks. "Tyreese said he forgives me. And I know in his heart he wants to. But he can't. Not really. How could anyone expect him to? I killed the woman he loves. I killed her Daryl. I can never change that."

He grabbed her wrist and jerked her closer, starting to feel a little bit panicked himself. "The world ain't like it used to be where everything was black and white. We have to do things…bad things…to survive. You said they were suffering right? You saved them from an agonizing death. It was horrible, and sad, and I am so sorry that you thought you had to do something like that alone. I wish you would have come to me. We could have figured out together if it was the best thing to do."

"But none of that matters." she said sobbing. "Don't you see? There is nothing I can ever do for Tyreese to make this better. I can't expect him to have to look at me everyday. To be around me…."

Daryl felt the knot retying in his stomach and he grabbed her wrist tighter. "What are you talking about? What's been goin' on in that head of yours?"

"What if it were you? What if someone killed the woman you love? Could you live with and work with and TRUST that person ever again?"

He put his hands softly on both sides of her face, pulling her closer and looking steadfastly into her eyes. He wanted to make sure that she understood him. "I would never let anyone ever hurt the woman I love. Do you hear me? I would die first." he said in desperation. She flinched and he could feel her warm breath against his mouth. He wanted to kiss her more then he had ever wanted anything in his life.

He leaned in and put his forehead to hers. He watched as her expression changed. For one second, he saw something flash through her eyes….surprise…happiness? But as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. She closed her eyes for a moment, backing away from him slightly. When she opened her eyes to look at him, he felt a chill go up his spine.

She placed her hands over his on her face and took one deep, rough breath.

"I have to leave Daryl. I can't stay here with all of you. This isn't where I belong anymore."

She took his hands off her face and walked into the darkness of the surrounding woods.


	2. Chapter 2

Here we go..Chapter 2. I want to thank everyone who read and enjoyed!

FYI…this is going to veer from what is happening on the show.

PS: I don't own these people…

Daryl stared after Carol until she had disappeared into the garage that the group was hauled up in for the night. Then he sat down on the log and put his head in his hands. God this was so much harder then he thought it would be. Daryl had believed that finding her would be the difficult part. He never thought keeping her would be the problem.

There was no way she could be serious about leaving. Yes, she was strong. So much stronger then even he ever gave her credit for. But the world sucked. No one could survive alone. There were dead people trying to eat you all the time. There was never enough food, or shelter, or clothing. There was never enough of anything. Except love. The love for the people who you had left. And Daryl loved her. He loved her to the point where he wouldn't ever be without her again. He had assumed that loving her would be enough. But like so many other things, maybe he was wrong.

He looked up through the darkness to see Tyreese and Sasha walk over to replace him on watch. Sasha nodded her head and Daryl nodded to both her and Tyreese as he got up to walk to the garage. He walked about ten feet before he turned and headed back to them.

Both Tyreese and Sasha looked up at him. "Is something wrong Daryl? Sasha asked.

Daryl took a moment before he answered. "No. Nothings wrong. Its real quiet. But I just wanted to ask you a question, Tyreese."

Tyreese sighed heavily before answering. "What do you want to know?"

"Before you knew Terminus was bad," Daryl said, "what was the plan? I mean, were you three just going to stay in Terminus?"

"Ya…that was the plan", Tyreese answered, looking away from Daryl at the ground. "But just Judith and I were going to stay. Carol was only going to stay long enough to make sure we were safe. Then she was going to leave."

Daryl took a step towards Tyreese, anger coursing through his body. "You were going to let her leave on her own?"

Tyreese put his hands up, as in defense. "How could I stop her? I never told her to go. Never expected it. She thinks it's the right thing to do."

"Do you think it's the right thing to do? A woman all alone?" Daryl was so angry he couldn't think straight.

Sasha stepped forward and got into Daryl's face. "Hey Daryl….back off. This isn't Tyreese's fault. If Carol wants to leave, that's her decision. Take it up with her. Leave my brother to mourn in peace."

Daryl stared at Sasha for a moment before turning and heading back to their shelter. He understood now what the problem was. Some of the group might always look at her as a murderer. They might always be suspicious, no matter what she had sacrificed to help them in Terminus. Carol could never live with the people she loved despising her. She was a doer…a helper. If people didn't trust her, she wouldn't burden them with her presence. To Carol, leaving would be the only solution.

To Daryl, the thought made him want to vomit.

He quietly opened the side door of the garage and stepped over the sleeping forms spread out in the open space. The open area was very large, with two cars parked immediately in front of the garage doors on one side, leaving plenty of room to the side for the group to spread out a little. He noticed his pack and blanket laying where he had left it earlier, next to Carols bags. But Carols things were gone. His eyes swept the room in panic, looking for where she might have moved to. He wondered in maybe she had left him.

Daryl began a closer inspection of the sleeping bodies around him, grouped in twos and threes, praying that she had moved to be closer to a group to keep warm. He was moving quickly around the room, peering in the dark to try and make out the faces of those snuggled together. As he went to move from one group to the next, he stepped on something.

"OW! Daryl? What the hell? You just stepped on my hand!", Glenn was yelling, holding up his right hand like an injured child. "That really hurt!"

"Stop making so much noise you big baby!", Daryl loudly whispered,

"You just practically broke my hand and you're yelling at me!"

"Shut up, the both of you!" whispered Maggie, sitting up beside Glenn. "Your fine Glenn. Go back to sleep. And why the hell are you stomping around the room Daryl?"

"Have you seen Carol? I..I cant find her."

Out of the darkness from across the room Daryl heard, "For goodness sake Daryl I'm right here."

"Yeah Daryl…She's right there," Glenn said mockingly. "Now go lay down before you break someone else's hand."

Daryl gave Glenn a dirty look and grabbed his things from the floor. He walked in the direction he had heard Carols voice come from. He walked to the side of the two cars that was against the wall, with only about 5 feet between the side of the car and the wall. She was sitting up on her blanket, peering at him in the darkness.

"Why are you back here?", he asked.

"I just wanted to be alone.", Carol whispered back.

"Does that include me?" he asked shyly.

"You can stay if you want."

"I wasn't wandering around this place looking like a jackass because I DIDN'T want ya." He saw her do a double take at his words, and he realized exactly what he had said. He felt heat run up his neck. He tried to think of a way to take it back, to change what he said. But then Daryl remembered. He didn't want to hide it anymore. He had to keep reminding himself that he wanted her to know how he felt. After hiding it for so long, it was just habit. He had to get over it.

So instead, Daryl laid his belongings right next to her. He fell back and put his hands behind his head. He felt Carol lay down and turn away from him onto her side. This is what they had been doing the past few nights. He would normally roll over and they would sleep back to back. But he needed something more. He moved right over to her so that her back was pressed against his chest and he put his hand just under the bottom of her shirt to touch the skin of her hip.

He could feel her sharp intake of breath as his fingers flexed, reaching to touch more of her soft skin. Daryl held his breath, excited and scared at this new part of their relationship. He wanted to touch her now that he felt he could. He waited for her reaction.

For a moment, she froze. He couldn't even hear her breathe. Just as he started to get worried, all at once, she relaxed against him, even shifting back just a tiny bit. They stayed like that for what could have been seconds or hours. He didn't know. But for the first time in a long time, he was content.

But then, without any reason, she moved, pushing his hand off of her side. She scooted as far away from him as she could get in the small space. Daryl's hand stayed suspended in mid air for a second, reaching for her. The loss of her body against him made him feel hollow.

He lowered his arm and whispered, "What's wrong?"

When she didn't answer, he reached out and touched her shoulder, but again she shrugged him off.

"I'm no good at this, damn it!', he said, more angrily then he meant it. "Why are you making it harder?"

With that, Carol began quietly sobbing. He immediately sat up and moved towards her.

"Carol, don't cry. I just…."

"I'm ok. Please go to sleep Daryl."

He groaned in defeat. "Fine. Just promise me something."

After a moment she answered, "I promise I will still be here when you wake up."

She knew what he needed from her without him even having to say it. Daryl took comfort in her words, and allowed himself to relax, laying down an arms lenght from her and closing his eyes.

"But please Daryl," she whispered, "don't touch me again."

When the sun began to creep over the horizon many hours later, Carol and Daryl were both still wide awake.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to everyone who enjoyed the last chapter. I have realized that reviews are like early Christmas presents!

I don't own anything...Blah...Blah

The sun was just beginning to rise and Carol felt as if there was no point in just laying there, her mind so full of past horrors and present demons that sleep was a completely unreachable goal. She had waited until she heard Daryl get up and leave the garage before she got up herself. He was something she just was not prepared to deal with right now…maybe even ever.

Her head was aching from her lack of sleep and the tears that had persisted for much of the night. She had tried to stop the crying, but it was a fruitless effort. The anguish she felt at telling Daryl not to touch her had overwhelmed her. She knew what it cost him to reach out to her. How hard it was for him to try and show her how he felt. But she couldn't allow it. Carol knew that if she let him touch her, let him show his love, that she would be unable to leave him.

As she crouched down to gather her meager belongings, she was hit with the all to familiar scent of Daryl that clung to his blanket and extra shirt that where heaped in a pile next to his pack, still laying where he had slept the night before. The scent, a mixture of cigarettes, oil, and fresh earth, knocked her to her ass and sent her mind reeling. Tears fell unbidden again from her eyes. Suddenly, the doubts began to fill her mind. How could she ever think she could be parted from that man again? It would kill her. After everything, they had found each other. Wasn't that proof that he belonged to her? Forever? No living person would ever mean as much to her as he did.

As she sat there, her head in her hands, her mind wandered back to happier days. Days at the prison when it seemed as though they were beginning to actually make a life for themselves. Through everything they had all suffered, the group were carving out their own little bits of happiness. Carol had just about everything she could have wanted in a world gone to hell. She was a useful, well liked member of their little community. She was surrounded by children, which rather then worsening her ache for Sophia, had helped her to remember the wonderful little things that made being Sophia's mother so rewarding. There had even come a day when it wasn't Sophia's glazed over dead eyes that haunted her when she fell asleep, as had since the day her baby had stumbled out of that barn. Now she saw Sophia's crystal clear blue eyes smiling at her. It had allowed her for the first time in many months to fall asleep with something other then dread in her heart.

And then of course there was Daryl. A man who had grown to be an unlikely friend in all of the upside down that had become real life. She owed him her life a million times over for so many things.

Carol thought of how she had often laid in bed, after the prison had gotten quiet, and tried to pin point the moment that she fell in love with Daryl. There had been no shortage of "knight in shinning armor" moments for her to choose from. But it was never those moments that she thought of. It was a quiet moment, after an uneventful day, that had changed their relationship in her heart. As Carol sat broken, on the floor of the garage, her memories of that night crawled to the front of her brain. She tried to push them out, but like a disease, it invaded her mind until finally she gave into her pain and grief and let the memories take her under….

She had heard the sound of a pair of boots climb up the stairs and then stop outside her cell door. She looked up to see Daryl lifting the privacy curtain just enough to peek inside.

"Carol", she heard him whisper. "You up?"

"Yes", she whispered back, sitting up against the head board of the bed. "Is something wrong?"

He walked into her cell, sitting down on the end of her bed. "No", he said softly. "Nothings wrong. I just didn't see you today."

Carol smiled, butterflies filling her stomach. "No. I guess you didn't. I was stuck downstairs doing inventory all day. I wanted to make sure the list for the next run had everything we need."

"Ya," he said, biting the skin on the side of his thumb. "That's important. That department store could be a big haul if things work out. But we'll be gone for a week at least."

"Are you still leaving tomorrow?", she asked, unable to hide the worry in her tone.

"Looks that way. It will be a long few days. But we'll be fine. Always are," he said reassuringly.

"You should get some sleep then. I wouldn't want to keep you up chit chatting," Carol said, laying back down and putting her head on her pillow.

"Ya…you're right," Daryl said standing. He took a step towards the door and then stopped. He turned to face her, his eyes cast down at his boots. He then looked up, a look of uncertainty, followed by one of resolve passed across his face. He walked the distance to the head of the bed and bent slightly towards her.

"Good night Carol," he said, softly palming her cheek. In that moment, all Carol felt was heat. Just the simple touch made her blood boil and color rise in her face. She knew he felt it too because his eyes became wide and his hand trembled just a tiny bit against her skin. Their eyes were locked and she saw so many things flash in his clear blue eyes….hope, fear, anxiety, and maybe, just maybe, a spark of something else. Then as quickly as he had touched her, he had turn tailed and ran out of her cell like his boots were on fire.

"Good night Daryl," Carol had whispered after him, a smiling playing on her lips, knowing, without a doubt, that she was in love with him. And maybe just maybe, he loved her too.

Carol hugged herself and shut her eyes, trying to bring herself back to the present. She purposefully made herself remember that it had been very soon after that night that the sickness had spread through the prison and she had killed Karen and David, ruining any chance that she could ever be a part of her family again. She needed to make sure that Daryl stopped hanging onto whatever feelings he thought he might have for her…because those feelings belonged to a person she no loner was. The sooner Daryl realized that, the better.

She heard Judith begin to stir and it was what finally enabled her to pull herself up off the ground. She continue to pack her bag and carried it with her as she headed over towards the door of the garage, stopping at the little table just inside where they were keeping the small stash of food they had scavenged. She grabbed a gallon bottle of water and a box of oatmeal and turned to walk through the door.

She almost bumped into Rick as he was walking back into the door. "You ok?" he asked her.

"Yes. I was going to go start breakfast. Do you need me to make Judith's bottle?

"No. I have it. I'm going to wake everyone up and then I'll be out."

She walked through the door without another word, heading to the fire pit burning nearby.

xoxoxoxox

The water had just boiled when people started spilling slowly out of the garage. Everyone walked to where Carol stood and she began handing out bowls of oatmeal. It was so reminiscent of times past that she had to take a deep breath to stop herself from breaking down again, as a knot began twisting in her stomach. She forced herself to recover enough to smile as she handed Carl his bowl. When she looked up, she saw Daryl walk out of the surrounding woods. The thought suddenly occurred to her that maybe he had seen her out by the fire alone and had avoided her. Again, the knot twisted. But she told herself that Daryl avoiding her was good, wasn't it? It made her leaving easier for him. If he realized he didn't care for her, then she wouldn't have to worry about him feeling abandoned when she was gone. Daryl approached her and took the bowl out of her hands, not once meeting her eyes.

After everyone had been served and had chosen a spot to eat around the fire, Rick stood up and addressed the group.

"I need to know who is going to go to Washington with Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene, and who isn't. I want us to stick together. But I can't force everyone to go."

"I'm not leaving Georgia without looking for Beth Rick," Maggie said, grabbing Glenn's hand who was seated beside her. "Daryl says she's alive. I need to look for her."

"Maggie, you don't even know where to start. We don't know who took her, or if she really is alive." said Rick.

Glenn stood up from his spot next to Maggie and said "Daryl said that the car that took her had a white cross, right? Like a medical symbol? Doesn't it make sense that maybe its medical workers….like at a hospital?"

"We have cleared out every hospital between here and Atlanta. We would have noticed if there were people working out of them." answered Rick.

"Ya…from here to Atlanta. But isn't it possible that they are IN Atlanta?" Glenn replied.

"You cant go to Atlanta!" Rick shouted. "It was over run. It's a suicide mission."

"We have to try…for Beth. Maggie and I could never live with ourselves unless we at least try."

Rick looked at Glenn intently. "Are you sure?"

Glenn smiled weakly. "She is our family. We have to at least try. We will detour to Atlanta and then good or bad, head to Washington after we're sure she isn't there."

Rick nodded his acknowledgement. "So it looks like the rest of you have a choice. Either you go to Washington now, or you detour and help look for Beth. You have an hour to decide. I want to know what's what so we can prepare."

Carol realized that now would be the perfect opportunity for her to leave. She could say her goodbyes and be on her way as everyone else was moving along as well. Her only concern was supplies. She needed to ask Rick if it was ok if she took a few cans of food with her, just until she could get her bearings.

She made her way over to him. "Rick, I was wondering if…."

"Daryl told me that you don't plan on staying with us," he interrupted, an urgency in his voice.

"No," she said plainly, "I don't."

Rick began rubbing his beard, looking at her intently. "Look, I know I have no right to ask you this. But if it weren't important…if you weren't important, I wouldn't ask. But I'm worried. Splitting up is the worst thing we can do. It leaves us short on all sides. I need to ask you to stay with us. Just until we all get back together again. Whether you go straight to Washington, or go to Atlanta, we need you."

Carol looked at him dumbfounded. "You don't need me. There is nothing that I can do to help…I am just one person…it won't make a difference."

"It will." Rick answered simply. "I have no right to expect this from you…I know it…but please…we need you with us. If you still want to go once we are all together, I won't stop you. Its your choice. But right now, we can't be without you."

Carol took a deep breath and thought for a moment. If she stayed, she would always be thinking about her sins…always. But if she left, would she be committing new sins? By not helping the people that she loved, was she doing more wrong? The main reason that she wanted to leave was because she didn't want to force Tyreese to be around her. Some of the reasons she was leaving were selfish. Her need to get away from Daryl being one of them. But doing right by her family, at least right now when they needed her, was really her only option. She could try and help. It was the least she could do for them. Then maybe, when all this was over, she could leave them with a little lighter heart.

"I will stay…for now." she told him.

Rick smiled. "Thank you." he said, and walked towards the garage.

Carol sat down on a large rock near the fire, lost in her own thoughts. Everyone had gone inside to pack, except for Abraham who was on watch. Carol had watched him wander a little ways into the woods. She was glad to be alone with her thoughts for a moment.

"You're stayin?" Daryl asked from next her.

She jumped, not having realized that he had come to stand next to her.

"Sorry I scared you. I figured you would have heard me." He waited another moment. When she didn't answer, he asked her again, "Are you staying or not?"

"Yes," she said without looking at him. "I told Rick I would stay until everyone was back together."

"Good." He replied sitting on the ground next to her. "Now you need to tell me what we're doing."

Her head whipped around to look at him. "What do you mean? Rick already said…"

"I'm not talking about them." he said looking her in the eye. "I'm talking about us. You and me. Which group are we going with?"

"Daryl, I can't make that decision for you. You do what you want."

"What I want is to be with you." he growled. "There isn't any way around that now. Stop fighting me and tell me what the hell we're doing!"

"Beth!" Carol blurted out. "I want to help find Beth!"

"Fine!" Daryl yelled at her, standing up. "That's what I would have chosen."

Carol stood up to face him. "I know that! Don't you think I know that!" Carol yelled back.

Their faces were so close that Carol could feel his breath on her skin. The air around them sparked and there was nothing she wanted more in this world then the man standing with her.

He held her there with his eyes, staring into her soul and she was powerless to move. She knew that right in front of her was her reason to live and fight and be.

He smiled then. A small, side smirk that always made her heart skip. He bent closer to her and for one moment, she thought he would kiss her. But instead, he cleared his throat and put his lips to her ear, his warm breath sending a chill down her spine.

"I'm not going to touch you again. Not until you ask me to." he said into her ear in a deep, gravely voice. "But you better know that when that happens, when you want me, you better be damn sure you're in this for the long haul. Cause once I start touching you, I ain't gonna stop."

Daryl stepped back and Carol released the breath she didn't know she had been holding. Without another word, Daryl stepped around her and headed into the garage to pack for what they all knew was going to be a difficult journey.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello! Thank you to everyone who followed, fav'ed and reviewed!

I do not own TWD

As Daryl walked away from her, his heart beating wildly in his chest, he felt a huge weight falling from his shoulders. He believed Carol at her word and knew she would not leave the group until after they found out about Beth. Daryl no longer had to worry that she would sneak off in the night, gone to him forever.

The best part was, he had time now. Time to convince her that her place was with the group. He would leave with her if it came down to that. But they would all live longer if they stayed together, and he wanted as much time with Carol as he could get.

He walked into the garage and began packing his belongings with a smile on his face. For the first time in a long time, he thought that maybe everything would be ok. Well, as ok as things can be when the world ends.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

After the hour Rick had allotted passed, two distinct groups were standing around the fire pit. Daryl looked across at the Washington Group, Abe, Rosita, Eugene, Tara, Sasha, Bob, and Tyreese. He felt a sudden stab of guilt as he realized he was relieved that Tyreese would not be with the Atlanta Group. He really liked Tyreese, and felt terrible about Karen. But he knew that if Carol was faced with the man every day during this journey, the chances of her staying after this would be very slim.

"Ok", Rick said. "Is everyone packed? Carol, did you separate the food out?"

"Yes", Carol answered. "I split everything down the middle." She stepped forward and handed a back pack to Abe, who took it with a nod.

"Thank you for helping us out of Terminus." Abe said, patting Carol on the shoulder.

Carol gave him a weak smile and nodded in acknowledgement. "Take care of yourselves. There is enough food for you all for about 3 days if you ration."

"Let's get moving. We have lots to do before dark." said Abe.

Everyone began saying their goodbyes, knowing that it could very well be the last time they ever see each other. Daryl, standing next to Carol, tensed as Tyreese approached them. Tyreese first shook Daryl hand and then turned to Carol.

"I am grateful that you found me and the girls." he said to her, taking her hand. Carol looked down and Daryl watched a tear slide down her face.

"No", Carol replied through her tears. "I am grateful for the man you are. A man who chose to forgive me when I don't deserve to be forgiven. I will always be indebted to you for not killing me in that house when you had the chance.."

Daryl flinched at this revelation, not even considering that the option had been considered.

"You helped keep Judith and I alive. You helped save Sasha. That means something you know." Tyreese said, pulling her into his arms. As Tyreese hugged her, Daryl heard him say, "It's time we move on. Neither of us can live if we are always surrounding ourselves with ghosts."

Carol hugged the man tightly and sobbed in his arms for a moment. Tyreese kissed the top of her head and released her, walking towards Sasha, as the Washington group started moving into the surrounding woods. The remaining eight people watched them go until they were completely out of view.

Rick took a deep breath and turned to look at his family. "Are we ready?" he asked.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

They had been on the road for days. Finding a vehicle that could accommodate all of them had proven impossible and they were tired, dirty, cold and cranky. Every single one of them. Especially Daryl. He had thought that he and Carol would be spending this time together. But Carol had made it clear from the moment that they left the garage that she was not going to give him an opportunity to be alone with her. He had asked her to keep watch with him every night and she had refused, choosing instead to be paired with any one else. She rarely walked with him, instead carrying Judith and talking to Carl. He was beyond frustrated, and every time he caught her eye, she looked away quickly and got as far away from him as she could.

Finally, as the sun began to set on day four, they came upon a solitary house in the woods. The sad story of what happened to the homes residents was evident by the two almost completely devoured corpses on the front lawn. It was a large log cabin type home and every single one of them were thrilled at the thought of sleeping inside.

Parked in the driveway was a large white Chevy Tahoe. Carl walked up and looked through the back window. "Dad!" he yelled. "Oh my god!"

Rick was next to him in a second. "What?" He asked, looking through the back window of the truck. Suddenly he started to laugh. "You have got to be kidding me!" Rick said.

As Daryl approached Rick and Carl, Rick opened the back door of the truck. When the back door was fully raised, Daryl could hardly believe his eyes. Neatly stacked in the back of the truck was can after can of food, MRE's, and containers for gasoline. Rick lifted one of the gas containers. "Its full!" he said in a tone of disbelief.

Carol walked up and opened one of the back doors. "There are gallons of water in here too!"

The only conclusion they could come to is that the couple must have packed the car full of supplies and then were attacked before they could leave. It was very sad to think how close they were to escaping.

Daryl, Rick and Glenn cleared the house, which was completely free of walkers, then the rest of the group came in and began to get settled. Carol wandered into the kitchen and was delighted to find that the stove worked. "Everything works in here!" she yelled into the living room as she turned to try the kitchen faucet. She almost squealed when water came out. "Even the water!" She quickly turned around, only to slam right into a hard, unmoving body.

Daryl stood still as Carol literally bounced off of him. He resisted the urge to grab her around the waist and pull her tight to him.

"Sorry." she said, trying to side step away from him, but every time she stepped one way, so did he. She looked up and met his eyes. For a moment, it was as if they were trapped into an uneasy waltz, their eyes locked, their bodies moving around each other like planets locked in a gravitational force. Daryl's eyes shifted to her mouth and he felt himself bending his head towards hers. He watched as Carol bit her bottom lip, the simple gesture causing heat to pump through his body. He looked back to her eyes, realizing that she had never taken her eyes from his face.

Carl burst into the room, causing them both to jump apart. "The water works?" he asked.

"Yeah." Daryl answered, looking quickly at Carol and then turning and walking away.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

After everyone had eaten, they had begun to settle down for the night. The master bedroom of the house had an adjoining sitting room, so Rick and Michonne were in the main room, with Carol and Judith in the sitting room. Maggie and Glenn took the other bedroom, leaving the third room for Carol and the living room couch for Daryl.

Carol had taken first watch. After Daryl had relieved her several hours later, she had made her way up to the bathroom on the second floor. Everything the group had needed to get clean had been found in the house. It was as if this place was a gift handed to them after so many things had gone wrong.

Carol showered, enjoying the lukewarm water and the exquisite feeling of being clean as the water cascaded off of her body. After she was dried and dressed in clean clothes, she went to her room and crawled into the bed. For a moment, she tried to remember when the last time she had slept in a bed was. Before she could remember, she had fallen asleep.

She awoke when she heard the door to her room slowly open and close. She sat up quickly, her eyes trying to adjust to the darkness. "Whose there?" she said, fear clear in her voice.

"Its just me." Daryl answered.

Carol heard the sound of his crossbow and what she assumed where his boots being placed on the floor right next to the head of the bed.

As she peered into the dark, Daryl moved to stand right up against the bed next to her.

"Scoot over."

"What?" Carol asked. "This is my room!"

"Are you really going to make me sleep on the couch while you have this whole big bed to yourself?"

Carol huffed loudly. She did not want this man in her bed. She loved Daryl, and knowing that he thought he loved her too gave her hope. Hope for the future. But that was dangerous. She was preparing herself to leave him. She had purposely avoided him since his declaration at the garage. The problem was that all she could think about was touching him. Or even better, him touching her. She had to stay away from him long enough to find Beth. Then once they were all safe in Washington, she could go off on her own and grieve for the love she could not have in peace.

"Are you really not going to let me in? Its cold."

Carol huffed again and moved as far over on the bed against the wall as she could, turning so her back was to Daryl. She felt Daryl's weight as he laid onto the bed. He squirmed around a bit, trying to get comfortable. Carol could tell that he had taken a shower because with every inhale of breath, she could smell soap. She realized that with every little squirm, Daryl was moving closer to her. He had moved so close, that she would be unable to lay flat without partially laying on top of him. He left just enough space so that they were not touching.

Carol closed her eyes and tried to forget his proximity. She tried to slow her breathing and tried to concentrate on relaxing herself into sleep.

"Is Tyreese the only reason why you want to leave?" Daryl asked her, his voice quiet and calm, but with a hint of something that she could not pinpoint.

Carol thought before answering. She could lie. She could say that it was only Tyreese. What she had done to him. How being around him rips out her heart. But she decided that the truth was better. She owed him that. He was fighting so hard to keep them all alive and safe. She owed him honesty. Maybe if he knew all the reasons she was leaving, maybe he would be able to let her go.

"Tyreese is one reason…yes. But not the only reason."

"So what's the other reasons then?"

"Well, for starters, I don't believe for one second that Rick is comfortable having me around. He sent me away because he thought I was a danger to his children. You don't just get over that."

"That's just dumb. You know that right?"

"How is that dumb?"

"Rick doesn't play around when it comes to those kids. You could have saved us from a million Terminus'. It wouldn't matter. If he didn't feel like he knew you and trusted you, he would have sent you packing again."

"Not necessarily."

"How's that?"

Carol took a deep breath. "Not if he thought it would hurt you. He would let me stay for you."

She felt him roll to his side so he was facing her back, and he moved so that he was so close she could feel the heat coming off of his body.

"That's what this is about then? Why your distant? Why you wont let me…let me…touch you? You think that how I feel will go away if you keep yourself to yourself? That if I don't care about you, Rick will make you leave?" He voice had started to rise, getting slightly louder with each statement.

"What ever you suddenly think you feel is not for me, Daryl. Its for some person you remember that doesn't exist anymore."

She could feel him breathing heavily behind her. Then taking a deep breath he said, "You don't get it, do you? Just because I didn't realize before, doesn't mean I don't see it all now.

Carol looked over her shoulder, trying to make him out in the darkness. "What the hell does that even mean?" she asked.

He took another long deep breath, exhaling so close to her, that his hot breath caused goose bumps to erupt all over her, and she shivered.

"You are the same person you always were Carol. Just stronger…more of a fighter. You do what you have to do to protect and take care of us, like you always have. Except now some of those things you had to do were sad and horrible. But the reason behind it is all the same. The love you feel for your family is the same. Its time to get past the crap and move on. Start over."

Carol took a deep breath, exhaling loudly. "None of this is that simple."

She felt his body vibrate behind her as he laughed. "Most things these days are simple. This life we all are livin, we fight everyday to stay alive." Carol felt his finger tip very gently touch her earlobe and move slowly down her neck. "Its live or die. That's it." He was now making a trail up and down her neck with his finger. Carol closed her eyes and savored the feeling.

"I choose to live." he continued. "I think that's pretty simple."

He was right up against her now, no space between them. He had nudged her body until they were spooning, her ass tucked right up against his crotch, his arm flung over her waist, pulling her back even closer.

"I thought you weren't going to touch me.' Carol said quietly.

She felt him tuck his head into her hair. After a moment he said "Yeah…that was bullshit. All I want to do is be near you." He took a deep breath. "I'm not fighting it anymore. Neither should you. Please….please…don't fight it anymore. "

Carol slowly rolled over to face him. She was hoping he would back up, but he didn't. "I'm not staying Daryl. I told you."

"I heard what you said. But you need to know I'm not goin to make it easy for you to leave me." He grabbed her knee and slid her leg over the top of his leg, resting it on his thigh.

She looked into the darkness needing to see his eyes and when she found them, they were on fire. The intensity caused every inch of her body to tingle and instinctively she moved closer, tightening her leg around him. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, pressing two kisses into her palm. "I loved you back at the farm you know. I didn't _know_ that was what it was. Thought I was goin crazy, always wanting to be near you." He leaned in and kissed her forehead.

It took everything Carol had not to jump on top him. She wanted him more then she had ever wanted any other man in her life, and she could feel how much her wanted her.

"Daryl, you know this is a bad idea." she said

"Maybe…." he said kissing her nose…."Maybe not." he said, brushing perfect, light kisses on her lips.

The bolt of electricity that went through her was shocking. Carol let herself enjoy the feel of his lips on hers.

The kisses gradually became longer and slower, until she felt his tongue nudge open her mouth. His hands had moved to her back, under her shirt, pulling her even closer. He then rolled them both, so that he was on top of her, laying in the V of her legs, never breaking the kiss.

Suddenly, the familiar sound of a gunshot cut through the night, followed by a horrible unfamiliar scream.

"Daryl!" someone yelled from downstairs. "I need you! Now!


End file.
